Requirement #3

One of the most important requirements for me is that we will have to share similar musical tastes, at least to some degree. I used to take for granted that anyone who has ears and a brain and lives in America would be able to identify at least one song from artists such as the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, or the Rolling Stones. I have learned that is not true.

One of my exes is a prime example of why my theory was disproven. He is a 35 year old, 6 foot 4 inch, blonde haired blue eyed whiter than white guy who listened to nothing but underground rap. Although he tries his hardest, there is no way anyone is ever going to mistaken him to be of African American decent. Sadly, there was more than one occasion where I painfully had to watch him try to make friends with African American people just so he could wow them with his knowledge of gangsta rap. One of these times was when he buddied up with the DJ at a relative's wedding (which was especially embarassing). Each and every time the person he was trying to befriend looked at him like he was a pathetic loser. Talk about hitting the nail on the head! Although he could name just about every no-hit wonder to ever hit the rap scene, he wouldn't know Mick Jagger if he slapped him in the face. Sad, really.

If I weren't lucky enough to find one guy that has no clue when it comes to music, I found another. This one is Mexican and although he was born in the US and lived here for each and every one of his 35 years on this planet, the only music he listened to was Mariachi from South of the Border. The only music with English lyrics he knew was the occasional song he heard in the Breakfast Club (which he watched about 52 times), but he couldn't identify the title or artist if his life depended on it.

Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with liking rap or Mariachi music. In fact, I think people should keep an open mind and like all kinds of music. I listen to a wide range of genres and it is rare that I meet someone whose musical interests don't overlap mine in some way. But leave it to me to find two people whose tastes are polar opposites of mine, then attempt to be in a relationship with them. Have you ever gone on a 20 hour roadtrip with someone you can't agree upon a radio station with, when you have satellite radio and hundreds of stations to choose from? Try it, then report back to me on how it was. It's not pretty.

Considering some of the things I enjoy doing the most in my free time include going to concerts, grabbing a beer at the local bar and hitting the jukebox, or sipping wine at home listening to my CDs and MP3 player, it really sucks when the person you spend your time with doesn't relate to these things in the slightest. And who wants to drink alone besides George Thorogood? Not me.